Leveling bar



Nov. 6, 1934. c. STILL 1,979,419

LEVELING BAR Filed March 4, 1931 v 3 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 6, 1934. c.STILL 1,979,419

LEVELING BAR Filed March 4, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 6, 1934. c. STILL1,979,419

LEVELING BAR Filed March 4, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Ii ,1 flie 31 PatentedNov. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT ornca In Germany 2 Claims.

The object of the invention is to compress in chamber ovens for coaldistillation the charge of coal, which is inserted in the loose statefrom above, by means which exert a compression effect extending over thewhole mass of coal and more particularly throughout thewhole depth ofthe charge. 1

In order to explain the invention, an embodiment of the latter, asapplied to horizontal coke ovens-is represented as an example in theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are vertical longitudinal sections of the same ovenchamber taken on the line I-I of Fig. 3, which show two differentdevices to be used in sequence for carrying out the compression process,

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on the line III-III of Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical longitudinal section on an enlarged scale.

The oven chamber 1 is closed on the ram side by the door 2 havingtherein leveling opening 3, and on the coke ramp side by the door 4having therein leveling opening 5. The oven roof 6 f the chamber isprovided in the usual manner with five charging openings 7 and anopening 8 for leading away the gases, connected to an ascension pipe 9which leads through a valve '19 to the usual gas and tar main 1.0. Acharging car 42, of which only the outline is indicateddiagrammatically, is adapted to travel over the roof and is providedwith a discharge outlet 43 for each charging opening 7. 1

Between the charging openings 7 and the gas ofitake opening 8 in theroof there is a number of narrower openings ll uniformly distributed inthe roof.v These openings 11 can be closed by covers 12 and. are allprovided with tubes :13 connect'ed to a pipe 14 for leading away thegases,

provided separately for each oven chamber and disposed within the ovenroof 6; this pipe is preferably also connected, through a closing andcontrolling valve 22, with a separate main or collecting pipe 15 commonto the whole oven battery.

A leveling rod 16 can be inserted through the above-mentioned openings 3and 5 of the doors 2 and 4 (Fig.1) and is supported in a manner, whichforms a feature of the invention, at both of its projecting ends so thatit cannot. deviate in any direction. This support is provided on themachine side of the oven by two rollers 17, 18 on a bearing blocksecured to the frame 35 (only indicated diagramatically) of the levelingmachine. On the opposite side the leveling rod is supported by twosimilar rollers 20, 21 the bear- March 8, 1930 ing block of whichissecured to the door lifting device 32 (also only diagrammaticallyindicated).

The leveling rod 16 consists of two fiat iron cheeks 23 placed edgewise(Fig. 3) connected together by transverse irons 24 (Fig. 1). Between thelatter, cylindrical rollers. 25 are arranged to rotate on pins 26 (Figs.1 and 4) preferably with the. use ofroller bearings 2'7. Each of theserollers 25 is surrounded by a hood-shaped member 28 which also connectsthe cheeks 23 of the leveling rod 16; each of the vertical side walls 29of the member 28 carries a sheet iron plate 30 secured by screws 31.This method of fastening permits a certain amount of verticaldisplacement of the plates 30 on the walls 29 and allows the plates 30to. be used as scrapers, the effective height of which can be adjustedto the mass of coal to be rolled down at any time, as further explainedlater. A horizontal reciprocating movement of the kind usual withleveling rods is imparted to the rod 16 by the leveling machine throughgearing of the usual type (not shown).

Fig. 2 shows the additional compressing means according to theinvention. It consists of vertical, cylindrical or prismatic rods 38,preferably point- .edat the bottom, which, for example, may be made ofwrought iron, and can be rammed into the charged mass of coal throughthe openings 11 in the roof and, if required, also through the chargingopenings '7. Each rod 38 may be suspended by a chain 40 from the liftinggear of a travelling crane (not shown), which can lower or raisesimultaneously all the rods of the whole row distributed over the lengthof the chamber. The weight of the rods is sufficient to enable them .toact as rams or pile drivers and also ensures their correct verticalposition.

The process of the invention is carried out by means of the describedapparatus as follows:- The oven chamber which is closed on both sides bythe doors 2 and 4 is charged from the car 42 through the openings 7 inthe roof 6 with loose -coal in the ordinary manner. When the main partof the mass of coal has been charged, the leveling rod 1.6 is insertedby the machine 35 through the opening 3 of the door 2 into the ovenchamber so that its front end passes the opening 5 of the other door 4and is moved backwards and forwards in order at first to distribute theportions of coal which are piled up below and in the openings 7. As soonas a coarse distribution has been effected, the rolling down of theupper layer of coal is commenced as shown in Fig. 4, wherein it isassumed that the rod is moving to the right in the direction of thearrow 2:.

The coal between the side walls 29, 30 of two adjacent members 28 formsirregular heaps 33 which are displaced to and fro with the rod. Thescraper 30, of which the effective height is adjustable, as the rodmoves produces a horizontal surface 34 in the coal of which the verticaldistance y from the lowest point of the roller 25 is definitelydetermined. but can be varied, as required, by adjusting the height ofthe scrapers 30. The layer of coal corresponding to the distance y isrolled down as the rod moves to the right. Simultaneously with thismovement which produces, on the left of the roller, the horizontalsurface 36, the coal of the heap 33 on the left hand is caused totrickle down on the said surface 36, which enables the succeedingmovement of the rod 16 and of the rollers 25'to the left, to repeat thesame process of rolling down a new layer of coal of predeterminedheight.

The horizontal path of the rod 16 in its reciprocating movement mustobviously be suflicient to ensure that the operating ranges of therollers 25 overlap. The whole mass of coal 33, heaped up between thesuccessive rollers 25, is gradually worked down by this operation of therod 16 and rollers 25 and the upper part of the charge coal in the ovenchamber 1 is tightly and permanently compressed, so that, finally, thecharge 37 is bounded by a flat and well compacted surface 36 (see Fig.2). Since this compression is effected in a large number of successivesteps, of which each includes only a relatively small mass and a singlelayer of coal, the compression effect is transmitted verticallydownwards to a considerable depth.

In order to obtain the described effect it is essential that the rod 16should be accurately guided in the vertical direction by the pairs ofrollers 17, 18 and 20, 21, which ensures that the rod is not displacedeither downwards or upwards. Only in this way is it ensured that exactlyand equally proportioned layers of coal are rolled down successively andthereby a satisfactory compression of the mass of coal is obtained.

Unless the rod 16 is carefully guided, at least at its two ends,fluctuations of level, especially in the case of horizontal chamberovens with their considerable horizontal extension in the longitudinaldirection, would occur mainly at the front free end of the leveling rod,due either to sagging downwards or to an upward displacement caused bythe resistance offered by the mass of coal. A uniformly rolled downsurface could not, under such circumstances, be obtained, mainly since,on account of the limited space in the oven chamber, only pressurerollers 'of restricted diameter can be employed. Also, the

use of the adjustable scrapers 30, placed before and behind each roller25, is an essential condition for obtaining the required result. Withoutthis device, the rollers 25 would act substantially as the rigidtransverse connections 24, that is,

.both would similarly displace only the mass of whole mass of the chargeof coal 37 by the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, the operation of which isdescribed in the following:-

The rods 38, pointed at the bottom, which act as ramming or pile drivingrods, are introduced and afterwards withdrawn vertically through theopenings 11 in the roof (and possibly also through the five chargingopenings 7) A large number of uniformly distributed ducts 39 is therebyproduced in the charge of coal 37. The rods 38 act at first to exert alateral compression on the mass of coal, which, being held by the sidewalls and doors of the chamber, cannot yield, as a whole, laterally. Itis also essential that the surface of the coal should, by the previouslyeffected compression, oppose considerable resistance to displacement ofthe coal by the rods (that is, that it should not yield upwardly). Thevertical insertion of the rods 38 not only displaces, but also to acertain amount packs, the coal. The latter action can be increased ifthe rods 38, during or after their insertion, or possibly also in bothconditions, are shaken or oscillated either in the horizontal orvertical direction. This can be eifected, for example, if the upper endsof the rods 38, while suspended on the chains 40, were slightlyoscillated or vibrated by being repeatedly struck on the side. Thesevibrations of the rods 38 are transmitted to the parts of the coalsurrounding them and cause the whole mass of coal to sag and thereby tobe packed.

This combined treatment as described, first by the leveling andcompressing rod 16 and secondly by the insertion of the vertical rods38, effects a permanent compression throughout the whole mass of thecoal 37. It is essential that the leveling rod 16 should exert in anycase, besides the leveling action, sufficient compressing action on theupper part of the coal.

The compression obtained by the described combination of different meansand methods of operation can be still further strengthened and improvedby the following: After the processes described have been effected andthe rods 38 have been removed, the leveling rod 16 can be againintroduced and set in operation, preferably with the addition of smallquantities of fresh coal charged through the openings 7 in the roof. Thesurface 37 of the coal is again rolled down and at the same time thecoal enters into and closes the ducts 39 which have been formed.

The process might then be concluded. However, since in the manner lastdescribed a com- I pletely closed mass of coal 37 without any internalducts has beenproduced, at this stage the rods 38 can be again insertedand ducts 39 formed, or the combined action of the leveling rod 16 andthe rods 38 can be repeated, with the advantage that a considerablefurther compression is imparted to the charge 37. In this way, degreesof compression can be produced which are as great as or even stillgreater than those obtained with the usual stamped coal cakes.

The positioning of each of the openings 11 in the roof and each of theducts 39 produced by the rods 38in the same vertical axis as shown inFig. 2 enables, as a further improvement, the following arrangement forleading the gaseous products of distillation from the interior of themass of coal 37: Pipes 41 for the said purpose of leading away the gases(see Fig. 2 on the right) are inserted from above, for example, in allthe openings 11 in the roof, so that their upper end, which is formedinto a conical flange and provided with 'a packing, lies tightly againsta corresponding formation of the opening 11, and their lower endprojects a certain amount further into the duct 39 and is jammed in thecoal 37 so as to form with it a sufficiently tight closure. This is madepossible by the firm structure of the coal surface due to thecompression. If the covers 12 are now placed on all the openings 11, thedistillation gases can be drawn off from the interior of the mass ofcoal 37 by the pipes 14 into the mains or collecting pipes 15, to whichall the pipes 14 of the different ovens are connected.

The ducts 39 and pipes 41 can in this case either serve exclusively fordrawing off all the volatile products of distillation, or, if, aspreviously de scribed, the usual outlet opening 8 in the oven roof 6 isprovided, one portion of the distillation gases can be led, at leasttemporarily, through this outlet and another portion through the pipes41, since the valves 19 and 22 enable each of the two mains 10 and 15 tobe put in or out of operation as required.

The invention is not restricted to horizontal chamber ovens, as assumedin the example described and shown in the drawings, but can also be usedwith vertical chamber ovens. In this case, obviously, the oven chamber 1is bounded by corresponding vertical walls instead of by the two sidedoors 2 and 4, and, instead of the openings 3 and 5 in the side doors,corresponding openings must be provided in these front walls. The otherabove described devices and means remain in every case unaltered for allkinds of chamber ovens for the distillation of coal.

What I claim is:-

1. A leveling bar for a coke oven having rollers mounted for rotation ontheir axes in spaced relation to each other on and along said bar andhaving their axes substantially parallel to each other and transverse tosaid bar for compressing a charge within a coking chamber, scrapersmounted on said bar on opposite sides of each of said rollers and havingscraper edges substantially parallel with the axes of said rollers, saidscrapers being adjustable transversely to said bar and transversely tothe axes of said rollers.

2. The apparatus described in claim 1 having a hood for each of saidrollers mounted on said bar and partially embracing the roller from oneand the same side of the bar, and in which said scrapers are mounted onsaid hoods.

CARL STILL.

